Legal Adulthood
Today, the legal drinking age in the United States has been set at 21. But what should be the legal drinking age in the United States is still become one of the most ongoing and controversial debate that we will find in the United States. The minimum drinking age continues to stir controversy specifically because age 18 is viewed as an important age for Americans. Once an individual turns to 18, he or she is now considered as a legal adult. As legal adult, individual are granted the rights and responsibilities of adulthood, such as vote in elections, get married, driving, buy cigarettes, own firearms, sign contracts, serve jury duty, enlist in military, and even able to go to club to party. But even though individual is given all of those rights and responsibilities, individuals with age between 18 to 20 years olds are denied the right to buy and consume alcohol beverages. So, when the legal drinking age is set at 21, it will make individuals with age between 18 to 20 years olds or college students viewed alcohol as a symbol of adulthood and maturity.
According to the Foundation For a Drug-Free World, Alcohol beverages comes from “Ethyl alcohol (ethanol), the only alcohol used in beverages, is produced by the fermentation of grains and fruits. Fermenting is a chemical process whereby yeast acts upon certain ingredients in the food, creating alcohol”(http://www.drugfreeworld.org). Alcohol beverages then divided into three categories: beers, wines, and spirits or liquors. And with information from the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education, “Beers typically contains 0.05% - 12% alcohol, wines contains 9% - 20% alcohol, and spirits or liquors contains 15% - 50% or more alcohol”(http://oade.nd.edu).
Different co...
... middle of paper ...
... when they reach status as legal adults do not represents their adulthood and maturity, but able to take responsibilities and make decisions on alcohol consumption in a moderate and responsible manner is the evidence of adulthood and maturity on them.
Works Cited
"College Drinking." http://www.niaaa.nih.gov. National Institute on Alcohol abuse and Alcoholism. May 7 2014. Web.
"Drink Equivalencies." Office of Alcohol and Drug Education. http://www.oade.nd.edu. University of Notre Dame. 2008. May 7 2014. Web.
"The Debate on Lowering the Drinking Age." 60 Minutes CBSNews. http://www.cbsnews.com. CBS. 2009. May 7 2014. Web.
"What Is Alcohol?." http://www.drugfreeworld.org. Foundation For A Drug-Free World. 2006. May 7 2014. Web.
"What Is Moderation?." http://www.drinkingandyou.com. AIM-Alcohol In Moderation. 2002. May 7 2014. Web.
In the United States of America the drinking age is 21 which was instituted with the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was passed on July 17, 1984. Before 1984 the national drinking age was 18. This is the age when U.S citizens are considered legal adults at the age of eighteen I could hypothetically go out vote, get married, join the army and buy a lottery ticket all in one day. On this same day I could also get caught driving while intoxicated, and then be arrested and tried as an adult in the court of
This opinion piece by Alexis Aguirre opens with the point that at the age of 18 years and older are considered to be adults and that they should be treated like they are an adult by being given the right to purchase and consume alcohol. Aguirre then goes on to talk about how even though the drinking age is 21, a high percentage of teenagers underage are still purchasing alcohol. She also states that 90 percent of underage drinking is done so by binge drinking. Later in her argument she goes on and states her
This issue hit home for me because it puts many people at risk for things such as car accidents, binge drinking, alcoholism, depression, suicide, and rape, things no one should ever experience, let alone in middle or high school. These reasons are why the legal age to purchase, and consume alcohol should remain at 21 years of age.
In the late 1960’s to mid-70’s the legal drinking age was 18 because the voting age of 21 was lowered to 18. However, in 1984 a bill was passed that every state in the United States was to change the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. Although this is a highly controversial topic many young adults believe lowering the drinking age back to 18 is best because if they may vote at the age of 18 then, they should be allowed purchase alcoholic beverages. In an article “Should the U.S. lower its drinking age?” written by Brandon Griggs introduces the pros and cons of lowering the drinking age. Griggs explains two generations ago young adults didn’t have to worry much about getting caught drinking or buying their way out to purchase alcohol. Nowadays
The debate of the drinking age has been long discussed throughout America. The drinking age has been 21 for the last 22 years, and people around the country have wondered weather or not this was the right call. People say that 18 year olds may not be mature enough to drink alcohol and might not know when to stop. It isn’t that teenagers don’t know how to stop, but rather have not been properly taught when enough has been consumed or how to drink responsibly. Changing the drinking age from 21 to 18 years old will take the thrill that teens get from breaking the law while drinking, will no longer give them the idea that drinking is the final stage of adulthood and full maturity, and will no longer force teenagers to drink in unsupervised areas.
On the other hand, adults aged 18 have their own rights to make a decision to whether consume alcohol or not. For example, once children turn 18 years old, they are mature enough to make their own decisions. Cloud states, “After all, in almost every other legal and cultural respect, you’re an adult at 18. You can vote, adopt children, sign up for Iraq or become a commercial pilot at 18. Treating alcohol differently helps turns it into a holy grail of adulthood.” (Cloud). Although, in the United States, 18 years o...
There are many people that enjoy the occasional alcoholic refreshment to wind down from a tough day. Young adults seem to be the age group that uses a glass of wine or a beer after work to transition from work to home life. Among these young adults trying to relax their ever racing, hectic lives, there are a vast amount of the legal adult age of 18, but just not old enough to legally consume alcohol. Whether those under the age of 21 agree with the fact or not, the minimum legal drinking age should remain at the age of 21 for the health, safety, and well-being of our younger generations.
The legal age to consume alcohol in our nation, The United States of America, is 21 years of age; although, it was previously allowed at the age of 18, when one is accepted in adulthood. The National Minimum Drinking Age of punished every state that allowed persons under 21 years of age to purchase and publicly possess alcoholic beverages
...e minimum legal drinking age in the United States should remain at twenty-one years old. Since the National Legal Drinking Age Act was ratified, the consumption of liquor among minors has abated significantly. With the restriction in affect, the United States is definitely a safer place when it comes to alcohol use. Even though, the reduction of the drinking age would get rid of the taboo that surrounds alcohol which would result in fewer teens drinking just to be accepted by their peers, young adolescents now have a harder time getting access to alcohol due to the minimum legal drinking age resulting in less alcohol-affiliated problems and a decrease in damage to their bodies. Teens and alcohol are not a good mix so citizens of the United States should keep them separated as best as they can. By having a minimum age limit of twenty-one, that is a great way to do it.
The national minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of The United States is twenty-one and it is ineffective; therefore it should be lowered to eighteen. The minimum legal drinking age does not prevent underage consumption of alcohol. Lowering the age of consumption can possibly reduce the number of injuries do to underage drinking. The legal age of adulthood in the United States is eighteen, so all adults should be able to make their own decision to drink or not. “Although many believe that anyone under the age of 21 is prohibited from consuming alcohol in the United States, underage drinking is allowed in 29 states if done on private premises with parental consent, 25 states if for religious purposes, and 11 states if for educational purposes.” ("Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered from 21 to a Younger Age?").
Most people have heard about the debate in the U.S. about lowering the current drinking age. A lot of people believe that it should be lowered, but also there are a considerable amount of people who think it should stay the same. This debate has been going on for several years now and it seems like there will be no change as of now. The drinking age in the United States is currently 21, however, for several reasons it should be lowered to 18.
Upon turning eighteen you are considered to be legal adult and receive all of the responsibilities that accompany the title. At the age of eighteen year olds you receive and are expected to use the rights and responsibilities to vote, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, join the military--which includes taking on the responsibilities of life and death--and be prosecuted as an adults in the court of law along with many other things. In 1984, the national government raised the drinking age from 18 to 21. Mothers Against Drunk Driving was a key contributing organization that influenced the change in the minimum drinking age. While there are arguments for both sides, it is said that if the national minimum legal drinking age is dropped back to eighteen many lives would be saved, colleges will have better retention as well as turn out rates of high school graduates, and it could repeal or alter a counterproductive law. The minimum legal drinking age should be lowered back down to the age of eighteen and those who wish to drink should be required to take classes to attain a drinking license upon completing the class in a satisfactory manner.
The day you turn eighteen is the day you officially become labeled an adult. As a young adult you are held accountable for your own actions and decisions. You are expected to be more responsible and more mature. The word “adult” comes with the title of being a grown up. The drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen because at age eighteen you are legally an adult. Many believe that at age twenty-one we are far more mature and can handle our alcohol, but our tolerance is not built up yet...
“Should the drinking age be lowered?” has been debating for years. The history of the minimum legal age to drink alcohol can be traced all the way back to the end of Prohibition in 1933. Lawmakers at that time made the youngest age to consume alcohol to be 21. However, it had changed over the years. Between 1970 and 1975, 29 states lowered the minimum legal drinking age to either 18, 19 or 20. It was due to the lowered required voting age from 21 to 18. When many scientific studies showed that the increasing traffic accidents and fatalities was due to people drinking at the age of 18 and 19 between 1979 and 1983, many of the states that had lowered the drinking age changed it back to 21. In 1984, all the changes had come to unification. The congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The act punished every state that did not rise the minimum legal drinking age back up to 21. As a result, the legal drinking age has stood at 21 since that law was enacted. Since then, scholars have been arguing to lower the drinking age again.
The issue being discussed is whether the drinking age should be lowered or not. It is being discussed because some think it should be lowered because most of the younger kids are doing it anyway. There is no background info in need of understanding for this topic.